Letter to the Health and Research and Innovation Commissioners

AIDS Action Europe together with 12 organizations; including universities, students, healthcare workers, citizens; and public interest organisations has signed and sent a letter to the Health and Research and Innovation Commissioners, urging that the Innovative Health Initiative puts public health needs into the priority setting. We are concerned that the private sector is taking the lead and dominating the development of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

 

In 2019 we signed a letter where we have already expressed our concerns over the dominating role of the private sector in the new Initiative and gave our recommendations for the inclusion of public health interests. Unfortunately, there is an urgent need to remind of those recommendations.

 

We urge the European Commission to ensure that the new partnership - Innovative Health Initiative - is shaped by

● Focusing on public health priorities and societal needs

● Allowing independent science to guide decision making process

● Responsible and equitable planning and measuring of public health and societal impact

● Using public funding as a leverage to ensure accessibility and affordability of end products

● Attach strings to the use of public funding as a leverage to guarantee accessibility and affordability of end products and open access to data and know-how

● Ensuring it is fully transparent and equipped with strong public governance and accountability mechanisms.

 

Signatories:

  1. Global Health Advocates (GHA)
  2. Aurora Universities Network
  3. AIDS Action Europe
  4. Asociación por un Acceso Justo al Medicamento (AAJM)
  5. Médecins du Monde
  6. Treatment Action Group
  7. Sciences Citoyennes
  8. Salud por Derecho
  9. Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW)
  10. Health Action International (HAI)
  11. Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM)
  12. Prescrire
  13. NoGracias

Read the full letter